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Recent Posts
- Escaping the Holocaust- Via Switzerland? January 30, 2026
- Como’s Sepulchral Art – The City of the Dead January 15, 2026
- Federico Frigerio: The Face of Como October 14, 2025
- Como’s Twin-Tailed Mermaids June 23, 2025
- Beyond the City Walls: Via Milano May 21, 2025
Category Archives: People
From Out of the Swamp, Novum Comum – Roman Como
Como is in origin a Roman city named Novum Comum and founded in 59 BCE by none other than Julius Caesar, the father of the Roman Empire. The Roman presence persisted from then on until the collapse of the western … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Culture, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged augustus, baths, caesar, Como, Culture, forum, History, market, mosaics, museo archeologico, novum comum, pliny, roman art, san fedele, valduce
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Como’s ‘Viaggi della Salvezza’ – In Memory of the Holocaust
Last 27th January was Holocaust Memorial Day in both UK and Italy – and even though Como Companion is behind schedule on this, I would like to mark the event by looking at the heroic activities of one particular group … Continue reading
Posted in Events, History, Itineraries, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Bisbino, Borders, bugone, cernobbio, corrias, customs, DELASEM, don marmori, gdf, guardia di finanza, holocaust, jews, medaglio d'oro, partisans, second world war, viaggi della salvezza, war
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Ice Cream and Vespas: Irma Kennaway’s Artistic Odyssey
23 years ago Irma, originally from England but freshly arrived in Florence from Paris to continue her fine arts studies, imprinted an image in her mind of the city’s stylish young women astride their Vespas nonchalantly licking ice cream. That … Continue reading
Como’s Cultural Highlight of the Year – ‘Noir in Festival’
This time the hyperbole is all mine – the annual celebration of crime and mystery film and literature known as ‘Noir in Festival’ has moved from Courmayeur to Como and Milan. Courmayeur’s loss is definitely our gain since over the … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Events, History, Lake, People, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Camilleri, Carlotto, Como, crime, Culture, detective fiction, festivals, film, Montalbano, Noir, Sala Bianca, Teatro Sociale
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Ester Maria Negretti – Como’s’Traditional’ Contemporary Artist
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Ester Negretti, one of Como’s foremost artists, in her new studio and exhibition space at Via Borgo Vico 82. Having established that Ester was born, brought up, educated and studied in Como, it … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Culture, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Art, collage, Como, contemporary art, ester negretti, figurative art, insubria, lake art, landscapes, michaelangelo, ticino, via borgovico
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Como’s Internationally Renowned Urban Visionary
This month sees the 100th anniversary of the death on the Isonzo front during the First World War of Antonio Sant’Elia. And so what, you might say! Many small cities can claim one or other famous son or daughter and … Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Culture, Events, History, People, Places of interest, Uncategorized
Tagged Antonio Sant'Elia, Architecture, Art, Boletto, Brunate, Como, futurism, Lake Como, Marinetti, modernism, secessionists, Terragni
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Como – Its Role in the Birth of a Nation
The Republic Day holiday comes up on June 2nd to celebrate the result of the referendum held on June 2nd 1946 to determine the constitutional form of the Italian state following the overthrow of fascism. I thought this ‘national’ celebration … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Events, History, People, Places of interest, Politics
Tagged 1848, Capiaghi, Cinque Giornate, Garibaldi, Mazzini, Risorgimento
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Tribute to Marco Pannella
Yesterday (19th May 2016) an extraordinary politician died of cancer in a Rome hospital. He was Marco Pannella. Italian politics does not and will not feature heavily on this site but Pannella was special, even inspirational – and he was … Continue reading
25th April Liberation Day – Como’s Role in the Insurrection
Some of you may not be aware that the last hours of Mussolini’s fascist regime were played out on the banks of Lake Como – and that those few eventful days following the general insurrection on April 25th 1945 would … Continue reading
Posted in Events, People, Places of interest
Tagged Como, Dongo, Lake Como, Mussolini, partisans
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The Como Companion 